The term « drug policy » pretends this subject to be a political subject of its own rather than a part of health policy.

The employment of the penal law to improve health requires the permanent evaluation of the balance of the resulting benefit and the noxious effects.

At the end of the twentieth century doubts arise about whether the prohibitive policy with its origin in the end of the nineteenth century really is the only and optimal strategy: therefore in Switzerland - probably like everywhere - there are two groups advocating the two principle strategies: the group that is in favour of the prohibition on one side and the group that is in favour of the antiprohibitive strategy on the other side.

The public discussion is characterised rather by emotions than by rational arguments.